Chapter 1

1. What kinds of family problems did Jess face?
2. Do you think Jess was treated fairly by his mother and sisters?

Chapter 2

1. How did Jess's father feel about his son's drawing? Why did he feel that way?
2. Why was Jess so fond of Miss Edmunds?

Chapter 3

1. Why did Leslie make such a dramatic first impression on the fifth-grade class?
2. What conflicting emotions did Jess have in this chapter towards Leslie? What caused him to feel this way?

Chapters 4

1. What made Leslie and her family seem odd to people in Lake Creek?
2. What did Leslie's essay about her hobby reveal about her character?

Chapter 5

1. Why didn't Leslie want Jess to fight Janice Avery? Why did she think the letter would be a better way to get even?
2. Do you think that Janice deserved the punishment she received?

Chapter 6

1. Why did Jess find it so difficult to think of an appropriate Christmas gift for Leslie?
2. Who was Prince Terrien? Was this a good gift? Why?

Chapter 7

1. Contrast Leslie's relationship with her father and Jess's relationship to his father.
2. What did Jess mean when he said that the Burkes were smart in a way he had never known real live people to be?

Chapter 8

1. Why did Jess's mother hesitate about taking Leslie to church? What was her main concern about her family's appearance that day?
2. Why did Leslie want to go to church?

Chapters 9 and 10

1. Why did Jess and Leslie visit Terabithia even though the weather was so bad?
2. Why didn't Jess ask Ms. Edmunds if Leslie could go along with them to Washington?

Chapters 11 and 12

1. Why do you think Jess denied Leslie's death when he first heard the news?
2. How did Jess's parents show Jess that they loved him and had sympathy for him?

Chapter 13

1. Why did Jess want to return to his milking chores? What did this reveal about his state of mind?
2. What did Jess do when he returned to Terabithia? Why?